Schar School’s Justin Gest Moderates Immigration Panel; Video Link Available

The immediate and lasting effects of the 2018 midterm elections on U.S. immigration policy was the subject of a late November panel discussion hosted by the Institute for Immigration Research (IIR) at George Mason University and moderated by Schar School Assistant Professor Justin Gest, author of several well-received books on modern immigration trends.

“Immigration and the 2018 Midterm Elections,” held on Mason’s Fairfax Campus, featured Dara Lind, Vox News journalist; Theresa Cardinal Brown, director of immigration and cross-border policy at the Bipartisan Policy Center; Virginia House Delegate Mark Keam (D); and Josh Breisblatt, legal counsel for Democrats on the U.S. House Judiciary Committee. 

The dramatic polarization of immigration policy, the fate of the “Abolish ICE” movement, the continuing complexities of the DREAMER Act, and, of course, a border wall with Mexico were topics of discussion. A video of the conversation is here.

“Elections have consequences, and we have seen that the 2016 presidential elections had severe consequences for immigrants and would-be immigrants,” said Michele Waslin, IIR program coordinator.

“This event was a great opportunity to learn about how the results of the 2018 midterm elections will or will not curb the administration's immigration agenda, and how immigration may play out in the 2020 presidential elections. Our panelists are incredibly knowledgeable and laid out the current debate in fascinating detail."